IPL 2022 | ‘KKR will invest in Rinku Singh’, says Brendon McCullum

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) played one of the best Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on Wednesday (May 18) night, which saw the latter knock the former out of the competition as well. KKR went on to do the impossible by missing the winning line by a mere margin of two runs, all thanks to Rinku Singh's heroics with the bat.


The Uttar Pradesh-lad scored a 15-ball 40 for his franchise, who were chasing 211 to win. Brendon McCullum, whose tenure as KKR coach has ended with this loss, said the franchise would look to invest in Rinku in the coming years, which might see him dawn national colours down the line.


According to cricket.com, McCullum articulated, "Rinku is a player who KKR will, no doubt, invest in over the next few years, and we'll see him really progress and maybe even challenge for higher honors in time as well. Because not too many people are able to bat in the middle order and, sort of, be able to try and pull games out of the fire like he has almost done for us on a couple of occasions this year. Just a great guy and really pleased for him."


The middle-order batter has scored 172 runs in 7 games for KKR at an impressive average of 38.80 and striking at 148.72.


The current England Test head coach also praised Rinku's work ethic by saying, "What an incredible story for someone who's been around IPL now for five years. He's sat on the sidelines for so long; he's worked so hard, and he gives to the team every single day that he has been around. He just plays the game for all the right reasons. He's a guy you really want to do well."


Rinku, who has been associated with KKR since 2017, was repurchased in the mega auction in February for INR 55 Lakh. 


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IPL 2022 | Indian Premier League Final rescheduled for 8 PM start

The completion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is around the corner, with the final few matches of the league stages remaining ahead of the playoffs. The final of the IPL will be staged at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad on May 29. A report in Cricbuzz stated that the start of play has been pushed to 8 PM due to different cultural performances being arranged. The closing ceremony of sorts will see renowned Bollywood personalities perform on stage. The event will start at 6.30 PM and go till 7.20 PM. The toss will be held at 7.30 PM, with the first ball to be delivered at 8 PM. The IPL discontinued the trend for such ceremonies under the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) for a period of three years. The current administration under Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah, due to Covid-19 limitations, followed the same pattern in the two editions, but now, with conditions easing up, has decided to start this trend again after an apex council gathering. The playoffs will take place across two cities - Kolkata and Ahmedabad. Eden Gardens will play host to Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator, while the newly reconstructed stadium in Ahmedabad will organize Qualifier 2 and the Final. So far, only Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have qualified for the playoffs, scoring 20 and 18 points, respectively. Gujarat still has one match remaining, while Lucknow has played all their games. Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) occupy the third and fourth positions in the table, with their two spots still up for grabs in the next stage. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have an outside chance but will need to win their final match against table-toppers Gujarat. Interestingly, all multiple IPL-winning franchises have been eliminated from the league stage.